It was fortunate that the first ‘press’ day was on Thursday rather than Wednesday, the day that our weather forecasters were (again?) caught out by the unexpected downfall of very heavy snow throughout the country – but by Thursday morning, at least in the South East, the rain had come, and travel was again a possibility – though by the time one reached Warwick only the main roads were fully clear, and around the NEC, snow still lay all about.

Your intrepid FJ team, Duncan and Sarah, were however there for the opening – although weather apart, the show did not look as full as previously, with empty spaces filled with rows of ‘modern’ cars, where previously a bevy of racing car manufacturers – or automobilia stands would have been present. Based around the HSCC stand, with nine F5000 cars on display, including the Leda LT25/1 built by Malaya Garages in Billinshurst .designed by Len Terry, and driver by Trevor Taylor. Alan Jones and Grahame White were in attendance, but it was sad to hear that the ever friendly Zöe Copas has left for pastures new with a revamped, yet again, Group C. Unfortunately their first race of the year was to cancelled with the demise of the Spring Portimao, Algarve, Historic meeting.

We met up with Kiki Bruyns to finalise details of the RMU Classic Lurani, and Alain Defalle, Vincent Collard and Jean-Paul Dispas of Roadbook Spa to confirm details of the FJ/F3 1000 race at the Spa 6 hours, where we will be working closely with HSCC, who have an allcomers single seater race (from slicks and wings F2, F3 and FF2000 to FF and F B cars) at the same meeting. It was desperately sad to hear that Jean-Paul had very recently lost his young wife, Claire, to a brain tumour.

There were plenty of Formula Junior and F3/500 drivers present. Edwin Jowsey is waiting on plans for a works Lotus Elise drive, but in the meantime has extracted from storage the disassembled Wasp/IOTA 500 which Cliff bought at Duncan’s auction in 1998, and Edwin is working to ready this for 2010. In addition he will be bringing out the ex-Eric Staes Lotus 22 for some FJ outings. Stephen and Anne Bulling were delighted that the FJHRA customs letter has secured 5% VAT on the recently imported Elva 300, similar to Chris Drake’s and Stephen was now sorting out the parts for restoration, the first job being to have the chassis professionally restored. I had forgotten that for many years before his Sadler, Stephen owned the Cooper Mk IX 500, before Bruce Stops, and now Dr Mike Gilbert. Other 500 drivers were Darrell Woods ( with Carol) back now with the Cooper . ex Brian Jolliffe having just been using the Staride on the hills this year, the Creamer of course having now gone to Mark Riley. James Gray, with the ex-Duncan Comet Mk I 500 ready for circuit racing, after a year off JB Jones, intrepid driver of the Coussy 500, and James’ partner in his Trade Mark legal practice, Withers & Rogers LLP was also there visiting clients – with no one client reliant practice, their spread of clientelle has shielded them from the recession. It’s scheduled to be a Caravelle year in 2010, with Mike O’Brien running both Richard Utley (Mk I) and 2009/10 Autosport award finalist Callum McLeod (Mk 2) in Lurani this year, with James Hicks no doubt backing them up in the Mk III as well from time to time, as the property world seems more buoyant. Mike and Richard (with Chris) were both to be seen, as were Classic Team Lotus, with the Team Transporter rather squeezed in by an unexpected pillar and no Lurani winning “No 1“ Lotus 18 as it currently graces the entrance hall of the new Lotus F1 factory, where the new car will definitely bear the Lotus badge, the question of Lotus Type numbers, however, not yet resolved.

We visited the BRSCC stand, and talked to Glyn, and then Robin Knight of 750 MC, in both cases sorry that there is no FJ race currently scheduled for 2010, as FJ don’t run on Easter Sunday, the date of the traditional Mallory meeting – maybe we will slip in an extra front-engined race, but we were pleased to learn from AMOC Temp Comp Sec John Hutchison Jnr, that AMOC will now be able to give us both front and rear engined races at their Mallory Park meeting in May. David Scott of MSV expressed delight that FJ were back again on the long Brands Hatch circuit, this time accompanying the Superleague Formula, and we had a look at their cars on show, the Liverpool car with one make Panoz chassis. Certainly of the same genre as the A1GP cars. Finally we caught up with Stuart Gray and Joe Tanner from Knockhill where we will be having a true Scottish weekend. They are most excited about our return to Scotland, and with a strong home base with Vern Williamson (now with 3 FJ’s and 3 500’s, as well as a F3 1000!), Alan Biggar (Cooper T56), Steve Futter(Lotus 20) and Iain Flett’s charges, John Fyda (Lotus 22) and Chris Chilcott (Lotus 20) and maybe even Larry Kinch could be enticed back to his home ground – the sassenachs are going to have to show their mettle – The usual Saturday night festivities are planned, so get your kilts ready now!

Urs Eberhardt, combining the show with other business in England, was on excellent form, but Urban Fassler is still looking for a second car to run with Urs to share the expenses, and enable a full season to be run - so there is still an opportunity out there, and the driver/owner most certainly does not need to be Swiss based. We caught a glimpse of Steve Wilkinson, readying his Brabham BT 21 and Chevron. B9 for the big FJ 1000 year, and David Noble and M. Ian Robinson. At long last the Mk 2 Lola should be ready for Ian’s debut after what must be nearly a 10 year restoration under various spannermen. First point of call had in fact been the “Millers” stand, signing up for their UK Championship “badging sponsorship”, with Stephen Parker. Robin Longdon, as ever present, was off to join the NZ contingent on Monday, ahead of the first race at the new Hampton Downs circuit. Duncan had a brief chance (brief because Sarah now keeps an eye on the pennies...) to scour the book stands, finding a few photographs with Spencer Elton, and Ted Walker (Ferret) as well as buying the new Tony Gaze book, strangely named " Almost Unknown" about this WW2 fighter ace, and GP driver, as well as the man who influenced the Duke of Richmond to turn Westhampnett aerodrome, where Tony bad been stationed during the war, into the Goodwood race track. Duncan well remembers driving up to Ngambe to visit Tony and Diana in 1990 to talk Alta’s and HWM’s/ His only regret that day being that the visit was so absorbing, that he didn't later have time to visit the Koala sanctuary! Peter St Barbe, still smiles every time he thinks of his FJ Elva 100, and with a long career back to F4/4 in the 1960’s that’ s a great credit. He has recently found. Bob Jarvis , KH4 and Vixen F4 Champion of that period, with a “truck full of memorabilia” which will be manna for the first 3 volumes of the FJ/Mono/F4/500 history that Duncan and Richard Page are putting together.

HSCC vice chairman Chris Alford was taking a day off from driver instruction at Silverstone - an activity somewhat curtailed in January’s inclement weather – to help on the stand: he still looks back on the 80’s/90’s time as an FJ driver and race car sales supreme as his best time in Historics, and only wishes that finances could afford a return. And many others, Colonel Bob, planning Vallelunga with Peter Strauss, David and Lorraine Gathercole, A1 GP co commentator Andrew Marriott, Sarah and John Hutchison, it being Sarah's turn in her 18 this year,Nick Wigley, John Hayes-Harlow, ex FJ Elva-DKW owner, 2x T56 owner, John Hewitt, Michael Waller, reporting the imminent arrival of another FJ restoration project, North Star FJ owner, Martin Cowell, having passed the F3 1000 North Star on to Tony Steele for restoration ; still looking for a photo of the body from its first and only race appearance at Mallory Park, Paul Morris , owner of Ellova Mk 2, 80 years young, Dallas Smith, and period FJ driver, Jeremy Bouckley, reporting a Dastle Midget for sale in Germany, and looking forward to being back in the Peter Denty T 56 this year, Wainer man, Brian Mitcham, Ollie and Dick Crosthwaite, promising to get the Gemini Mk IV out again, when it can be fitted beween Auto Unions, and Norman Foster's Dymaxion, the latter with design input from Foster's Jonathan Rabagliati, while Michael Schryver, like Nigel Bancroft, fuming with HGPCA, but the former still waiting to convert the 27 back to Junior spec, while Nigel, like Alan Rennie with the Lotus 35-Martin V8, still looking for somewhere to run the Cooper F1.

DCPR